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It takes a lot for a grown human being to change their habits, to learn something new. That's why it's better to learn things when you're young. Children pick everything up so quickly, but adults are too stubborn, too set in their ways. That's probably why it took so long for them to understand how their lives were supposed to work, Miss Parker especially, who was forced to grow up so fast.

But Cade learned quickly, and Parker did her best to show him the ways of the world. The only problem was that she'd been living in the Centre bubble for so long, that the real world was a bit stunning for her as well. She knew about the cold, dark sides, but when it came to the little, fulfilling things she had to stretch her memory back to a time when she was innocent, too. Cade deserved to live his life free of worry while he could.

Two years after that fateful day at the beach house. Parker couldn't help but think how quickly time flew now, when before it seemed to drag so slowly. She'd changed a lot since the day Jarod showed up at her door with an Indiglo watch, leading her through the woods and toward her new life. Hell, she had changed since the day Lyle stabbed him and she had murdered her twin without a twinge of regret. She was softer now and she found herself boiling water for tea instead of pouring her vodka on the rocks as she once did. Now her alcohol was limited to picking up bottles of wine for special occasions. Today was one of those days.

The atmosphere here was charming. Parker knew exactly what had made her mother fall in love with Maine because the same thing had happened to her. But if anyone asked her to put into words why she felt so attached to the place, she never could. 'It just felt right' would be all she could say.

She had thought about moving to Europe like her mother had wanted for the two of them so long ago. And initially, that was her plan. But after spending some time there, soaking up the culture and relishing the scenery, she realized she had left behind the few people left in her life. Leaving them would just be idiotic. So she returned to the states, and settled on New England instead. Uniquely sweet and far more convenient for road trips and visits.

 

It had been the right choice. Driving along the familiar paved roads with the refreshing gleam of a Spring sunbeam brushing through her window, Parker felt as free as she ever had. The bottle of Chardonnay on the seat beside her rolled slightly and she caught it before it crashed onto the floorboard. That bottle symbolized the anniversary of a very special day. Her thoughts drifted back to that day two years ago when her life rollercoastered into overdrive.

She had really thought she was going to lose him. After everything they'd been through and the life she'd lived up to that point, it would be typical. But she should have expected better of him. Jarod had always been a fighter.

After a few agonizing days in the hospital, the doctors had confirmed that he'd be just fine with enough rest and relaxation. After almost losing him, again, Parker was reminded just how crucial to her life the pretender had become. Jarod regained consciousness quickly and woke to find Parker sitting in the chair beside him, asleep, with a newspaper clutched in her hands. He had reached out slowly and taken it, and flipping to the front cover, smiled upon seeing the bold words "Unveiled Secret Organization Finally Falls." The only way it would have been better is if there had been a picture of Raines rotting away behind bars. But alas there was not, and not even a mention of any of the parties involved. Only the sketchy implications of kidnapping, child abuse, and unethical research exploitation.

As soon as Jarod was well enough, they bummed out in a hotel for a couple of weeks with Cade, re-acquainting themselves, trying to figure out the schematics to their new mother/father/son relationship. It fell into place surprisingly easy considering the pressure to be a happy family of three she had originally expected. Instead everything came together with a natural flow. It tested her maternal skills to be taking care of a child and a wounded Jarod, but thinking back on it, it was probably the best thing for her. That didn't mean there wasn't the occasional frazzled call to Sydney, who had decided to take up full-time residence at his White Cloud cabin. He could read all day, go to sleep early, and wake up for some morning fishing. Or he could just watch Jeopardy and cook omelets til the sun came up, but it didn't really matter. With no obligations, he could do whatever he pleased. Mostly, he just looked forward to his weekly dinners with the Broots' in Blue Cove and the trips he made to Maine and the ones that Jarod, Parker, and Cade made to Delaware.

After Jarod had basically recovered, he and Parker left Cade with Sydney while they embarked on a meaningful escapade through Europe. Sydney hadn't asked when they'd be back, and after three beautiful weeks of reconnecting and exploring each other all over again through England, Italy, Ireland, France, Switzerland and Spain, they did return for their child. There was no way either of them would let him grow up without parental figures. Nobody knew how important that was more than they did.

They decided to make their lives as normal as they possibly could, for Cade. And for the first six months, they thought they were doing a great job. But they weren't normal at all. While staying home and catching up on all the Star Wars films was entertaining at first, they realized that they needed to get real jobs for once. Parker had immediately decided to work in the FBI since she already had all the skills necessary. The credentials were a little sketchy, seeing as she had been involved with a leading illegal incorporation her entire life. But Jarod had easily doctored her resume into something appropriate, knowing full and well that she could pull off the job whether he lied or not. He promised each law he broke would be his last. Just that one last time.

Choosing a steady career had been most difficult for Jarod. After Parker had been working for three weeks, he had nearly resigned himself to just staying home with Cade because the indecisiveness was killing him and being with his son was what he truly loved to do anyway. But she hadn't stood for that, refusing to be their sole provider. There were no more Centre funds to steal from and she wasn't going to start shopping at K Mart because he couldn't decide whether he wanted to be a rocket scientist or a trash collector. Ultimately it became a question of how he could help the most people and for a long time he was torn between teaching and practicing medicine. The immediate gratification of saving a patient's life won out in the end and he was soon one of the leading practitioner's in the state. With some more years to his new name he'd be one of the top reliable experts in the country in no time.

After a year of "normal living" and curious questioning from neighbors and co-workers, Jarod and Parker considered the possibilities of marriage. The notion seemed so conventional and so normal that it hadn't even occurred to them until so many people started assuming that they were husband and wife. Everything fit. They lived under the same roof, raised an extraordinarily genius son, spent every night in each other's arms, argued over the grocery list, had their certain seats at the dinner table, and fought for control of the TV remote.

Normal people, everyone but them, would have thought it strange had they known that at their wedding when they shared their vows that promised themselves to one another forever and ever, for the first time both of them said those three little words that some people spit out after three dates with someone. There had been no reason to say they loved each other before; it had simply been implied all their lives. A few weeks after the wedding, Jarod had tried to insert the phrase into their daily lives by whispering it one night right as Parker was about to drift off to sleep. She had rolled over and started laughing at him, so he never did that again.

But their lives held a routine now that they both cherished. Just like last year, their family and basically-family were coming to visit them this special weekend. After the Centre's demise, Jarod had posted full page ads in every major newspaper around the country and before long, his whole family could reunite like they'd always dreamed of doing. Emily decided to return to Philadelphia and continue her journalism career, making it difficult for their parents to choose where to finally settle down again. In the end, they'd chosen Maine and dropped in on Jarod and Parker expectedly and not so expectedly as well, much to Parker's delight.

Finally home, Parker dropped her purse on the table by the door and went to the bedroom to stick her gun between the sheets of the highest shelf, far from reach of little hands, in the walk-in closet she now shared with Jarod. The bus would be dropping Cade off soon and she was glad to be picking him up herself today. She had gotten off work an hour early, so Mrs. Bellmore next door wouldn't have to. She called and told the elderly woman this, who was happy not to miss any of Days of Our Lives anyway. Jarod should be home soon, he was supposed to have the afternoon off as well.

"Honey, I'm home," he announced in his familiar voice, just as the thought had entered her mind.

Parker turned around, rolling her eyes, "Stop calling me that. Especially when everyone gets here. Knowing your parents they'll be here before Cade gets home."

"Sorry, I just like your expression when I say it," Jarod grinned, closing the door behind him and sweeping by her with a casual kiss. "Did you get the wine?"

"I said I would didn't I?" she smirked.

"Oh of course, and you would never forget anything you said," he hollered back as he walked down the hallway to their room to change. Their house wasn't big. It took a while to save up money when you had to start over at their ages.

Opening the mail he'd dropped off on the table as he'd entered, Parker mumbled to herself, "Well I wouldn't."

"Heard that!" he yelled back.

She discarded all the junk and set the bills on the desk beside the television. Making her way to the bedroom, she replied "That's nice, I'm going to go collect the child now."

Jarod, denim jeans already donned, peeked at her from beneath the rib of the white T-shirt he was pulling over his head. Contorting his arms through the holes, he whined, "Hey hold on, I want to come, too."

"The cheese mobile won't wait" she insisted in a sing-song voice, drumming her fingers against the door frame as she watched him bounce around on one foot while he pulled a sock on and then repeated the scenario for his other foot.

"I know I know," he grabbed a short-sleeved green button up to wear overtop the white cotton and slipped into it easily. Parker sighed dramatically as he pulled his shoes on and beamed up at her as if it could possibly redeem his trifling.

"Come on, my nerves, remember?"

And so they walked to the end of their street where the bus picked up and dropped off their kindergartener every day. Cade was in a regular class with regular children, just as they'd wanted. He did however leave the class after lunch for "enhanced reinforcement" where another teacher would attempt to challenge him. It was rather impossible, but Cade enjoyed school so much that he put up a good show. Jarod and Parker spent many a night debating how exactly their child's education should go. Jarod wanted him to go to school and be with other kids because that was something he'd missed as a child. Parker naturally wanted her child to do the best that he could and was confident that public school was only hindering his growth. They'd finally resolved that he could manage one year of public school at least for the social aspect of it. As far as his future, well that was still in negotiations and with the way they both fought, it was a good thing they had some time to consider it.

The bus came and Cade bounded off, thrilled to see both his parents standing there waiting for him. He seemed like every other child to most people, except that he was possibly a bit more energetic and excited at all times. While the details of his past grew hazier by the day, Cade could still remember the bad feelings of a life he used to have. Parker and Jarod hoped that just as Jarod had eventually forgotten his past life with his family as a boy, that Cade would forget the dark place he used to live in.

"How was school?" Parker asked expectantly.

Cade looked up at her with Jarod's laughing eyes and began to roll out the details of the day, none of which having to do with what they actually did in class. These things rarely interested him, except when they were allowed to do art. Nobody could inhibit him there and he loved it.

When Cade had finally summed up his day in ten thousand words or less, they were already home and Jarod had begun rushing around the kitchen preparing things for their coming guests. Cade played in the living room, making car noises and clashing the little metal toys together in the process. Parker was in the bedroom changing her clothes into something more suitable to be judged in.

The first doorbell was Jarod's parents, who Cade let in immediately and repeated his entire spiel concerning the exciting events of a Thursday well spent in kindergarten. The next doorbell was Sydney. Parker rushed out of the bedroom to open the door for him, smiling freely.

"Happiness always did look good on you. You look lovely, Parker" he greeted. And she did. She wore a simple black cocktail dress with an opening in the back that stretched nearly to her waist. Her hair was left down and slightly tousled, but the string of pearls around her neck gave her a sense of elegance even in their suburban home. And of course there were the stilettos. She had paid good money for those heels once upon a time.

With a shake of her head, she thanked him and walked him to the kitchen so he could see Jarod. Upon seeing his old mentor, Jarod dropped the spatula in his hand and hugged him warmly like they were long lost friends. Taking a step back he glanced at Parker, his wife, and arched his eyebrows. "My oh my."

"Shut up," she mocked playfully before leaving the room with a grin. The doorbell was ringing again and before she could reach it, Cade had already let Emily and her new beau into the house. Emily had been seeing Mark for a few months, nothing serious yet but Margaret was still holding out hope for the young firefighter and her daughter.

The next doorbell came about ten minutes later and it was their last group. In walked Broots, Debbie, and Molly. After some much needed who-the-hell-am-I-and-what-am-I-doing-here soul searching, Molly had reappeared on Broots doorstep about ten months after she had disappeared just as abruptly. She'd been writing him letters, but since she never said where she was, he had never been able to answer them. Needless to say, they had a lot to talk about and as the story goes, the rest is history. Parker's jaw had literally dropped when Molly called to say she thought she was falling in love. She had to sit down when Molly said it was with Broots. Her tech and her sister, playing happily ever after. It was quite the concept, but somehow it still seemed to be working over a year later.

With all the guests there, the eleven of them sat down for dinner a la chef Jarod. Last year's first annual event had been a little awkwardly quiet at first, but this year everyone had spent far more time together getting to know each other. Eventually, after the kindest of words and explanations from Jarod, his parents had accepted Parker and Sydney and Broots just like anyone else. Jarod's innate sense of goodness rooted from these two people, a morality factor which Sydney only further nurtured. Major Charles had the worst time letting go, and although he'd met Sydney and Miss Parker before, he couldn't erase the black and white images he'd seen on the DSA player of a little boy he was supposed to have protected. Not surprisingly, Jarod had denied his father and especially his mother, of seeing any more DSA's of his childhood without his supervision. It wasn't that he didn't trust them, but he imagined if it was Cade he was watching and it reinforced his belief that there were some things a parent should just never see their child go through. Instead, Jarod showed them the simple simulations that he'd slid through with ease to Sydney's praise and then there were the few wonderfully memorable moments that had been recorded with his future wife. Parker had groaned upon hearing her own voice from the player "girls mature faster that boys" and then the expected "aww"s from the in-laws as the two children on the monitor had innocently kissed. Jarod had grinned proudly the entire time.

But mostly, the infamous DSA player remained hidden away in the bottom of their closet behind other things more relevant to their lives like shoes, coats, broken window fans that had never been returned to the store, bags of wrapping paper because nobody ever knows where to store that stuff, a laundry basket, and a few old boxes full of things from a past life that neither of them considered as much as they once imagined they would.

"Pass the butter," "how's work going?" and the details of kindergarten cafeteria politics wafted around the table as everyone spoke, listened, and laughed. They all basically knew what was going on in each other’s lives thanks to phone calls and the occasional e-mail, but it was nice to run through the ordinary routine. After everything they'd all been through, Parker forced herself to stop participating in the conversation and just soak in what her life had become.

She excused herself and hid in the kitchen, leaning against a counter with her eyes closed. This wasn't exactly Leave it to Beaver, but it was far closer than she'd ever imagined her life could be.

"You did this last year," Jarod commented as he entered slowly.

It had been even more overwhelming then because it was still so fresh. Parker nodded with a slight smile, "I know."

"You said you'd be better this year."

"I am better. I don't feel the urge to drink."

"Good point," Jarod smirked, stepping closer to her. "You really do look especially incredible tonight, Miss Parker."

He hadn't used the formality in so long and the way he'd let it fall in a velvety pool off his tongue was seductive. She let his hands slither around her waist and his nose barely press against her neck before she turned away to return to the dining room with the words "I'm afraid you have the wrong woman, Dr. Callahan."

Jarod laughed and bent his head down, stuffing his hands in his pockets as she clicked away.

*****

It was 11:30 and far past Cade's bedtime when everyone finally left for their hotels or Major Charles and Margaret's home. Parker had expected this and subsequently had planned to keep Cade out of school the next day anyway. Everyone had made plans for tomorrow which involved a few too many outdoor activities in Parker's opinion, but she was anticipating them anxiously none-the-less. She knew how much Jarod looked forward to fishing with his father, Cade, and of course Sydney.

"PJs. Now. Please. Thank you," Parker clapped her hands together with every beat as Cade scampered off to his room giggling. He was the only child she'd ever known who was just never tired.

She walked into the kitchen where Jarod was pushing the buttons to program the dishwasher and she sat at the counter barstool, "Put the kid to bed would you?"

Jarod nodded, watching her unfasten her shoes and pull them off delicately. She pointed her toes and looked up at him watching her. He knew there would be a let's-get-this-show-on-the-road comment soon, so he headed to Cade's room and pulled his bed covers back so that the boy could bound in.

"Story?" he asked innocently.

Shaking his head, Jarod pulled the covers up, "No way. It's too late. We have a big day tomorrow, too."

"Broots said he'd bring candy for the picnic," Cade said with wide eyes, the story rejection rolling off of him nearly unnoticed.

"Sounds good, just don't tell your mother."

Cade nodded with a grin. Sharing secrets from his mother rarely lasted long, but it was still fun to try. "Night, Daddy. Love you."

"I love you, too," Jarod answered easily, flipping the light switch off. "Go to sleep okay?"

Cade nodded and Jarod pulled the door nearly shut, a crack of light shining into the bedroom still. Jarod was surprised to enter his own room and find that Parker was already in bed with a book propped on her stomach while she read. He shed his clothes and pulled on his pajama bottoms.

"Sorry, but you can't read tonight."

Parker glanced at him and then back at the page, "Oh yeah. Why's that?"

Jarod slid under the sheet in his space beside her, reaching for the book in her hands, "Because you chose to wear that number which I was forced to stare at all evening long."

"You poor thing," she murmured, letting him pull the book out of her hands.

"Yes, poor me," he kissed her and then mumbled back to her. "It was absolutely hideous."

Parker laughed, "I'll just throw it out then."

He continued exploring her neck with his lips, "You could keep it around for a rainy day I suppose."

"Good idea."

And this was how most days ended. Not all of them of course, because sometimes Jarod was being too annoying, or she was being stubborn, or someone was too tired, or Cade had a nightmare, or Parker's book was too enthralling. It didn't matter either way though because in the end they were happy. They'd made their lives what they wanted them to be. After this weekend of reunion and reconnecting with their friends and family, everyone would disperse to their respective homes and go on with their own little lives. Jarod would roll out of bed and nudge his wife awake so that he could start her coffee and get Cade on the bus by the time she was out of the shower. Parker would come home from work later that day, pick up her son with a kiss, and devote all her time to playing with him until Jarod arrived a little later. Their lives were routine, and to anybody else, nothing special. But the ordinary pattern to their living and the stability of having each other was what made their new life so refreshingly rich.

 





Chapter End Notes:
So seven years later I've finally finished this beast of a story. I hope everyone's enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. This is a very sad day for me, but also kind of exciting at the same time because I can start new fics :D As for this one, well, thanks for reading and THE END.





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